Abstract
Semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted increased attention due to their great potential for solving energy and environmental problems. The formation of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems that mimic natural photosynthesis is a promising strategy to improve photocatalytic activity that is superior to single component photocatalysts. The connection between photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II) are crucial for constructing efficient Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems using two photocatalysts (PS I and PS II). The present review concisely summarizes and highlights recent state‐of‐the‐art accomplishments of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems with diverse connection modes, including i) with shuttle redox mediators, ii) without electron mediators, and iii) with solid‐state electron mediators, which effectively increase visible‐light absorption, promote the separation and transportation of photoinduced charge carriers, and thus enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. The challenges and prospects for future development of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems are also presented.
Highlights
Semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted increased attention due to their opment of eco-friendly practical systems great potential for solving energy and environmental problems
The present review concisely summarizes and highlights recent state-of-the-art accomplishments of Z-scheme systems, which was categorized through diverse modes, including i) with shuttle redox mediators, ii) without electron mediators, and iii) with solid-state electron mediators
Solidstate electron mediators provide a pathway for the photogenerated electrons in photosystem II (PS II) and the holes in photosystem I (PS I) to quickly travel and recombine, leaving more electrons in PS I and more holes in PS II to participate in the redox reaction
Summary
Www.advancedscience.com system were promoted by the presence of a nanoparticulate cocatalyst (e.g., Pt, Rh, NiOx, RuO2), that was loaded onto the photocatalyst surface to produce active sites and reduce the activation energy for the surface chemical reactions.[4,12] The behavior of different cocatalysts (e.g., Pt, Rh, Ni, Ru, Fe2O3, and RuO2) loaded on SrTiO3:Rh/WO3 visible-light-driven Z-scheme photocatalysis systems for H2 and O2 evolution with Fe3+/Fe2+ as the electron mediator were investigated, and the water splitting was obviously enhanced in comparison with the non-loaded system.[20] The water splitting of the system using the Pt cocatalyst decreased as the partial pressures of the evolved H2 and O2 were increased Such deactivation was not observed for the system using the Ru cocatalyst due to the significant suppression of the backward reactions. Z-scheme systems without redox mediators have attracted much attention because they eliminate these limitations.[7,26]
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